Iranian crude oil has begun moving out of the country for the first time in two months, with at least two supertankers tracked exiting the US Navy blockade perimeter just days before Washington and Tehran are set to formally sign their memorandum of understanding
Maritime tanker-tracking account TankerTrackers.com posted the information on X.
"According to AIS data which we corroborated yesterday (2026-06-15) by satellite imagery, at least two National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) VLCC supertankers named DIONA (9569695) and HERO2 (9362073) have exited the US Navy blockade perimeter carrying a combined total of 3.8 million barrels of Iranian crude oil between them," the post said, adding that these mark "Iran's first crude oil exports in two months."
TankerTrackers.com also flagged a third vessel approaching the cordon: "We can also see that NITC's STREAM (9569633) is approaching the blockade line from the EEZ of Pakistan; where she spent the past 7 weeks waiting to enter Iran."
The movement of these tankers comes against the backdrop of a rapidly evolving diplomatic timeline.
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The US and Iran are scheduled to formally sign a 14-point memorandum of understanding on Friday, in Switzerland, with the agreement requiring Washington to lift its naval blockade immediately upon signing and restore Iranian shipping traffic to pre-war volumes within 30 days.
Iran, in turn, is committed to clearing mines and technical obstacles in the Strait of Hormuz within the same window.
US President Donald Trump had already declared the deal "complete" earlier this week, posting on Truth Social that he was authorising "the toll free opening of the Strait of Hormuz" and the "immediate removal of the United States Naval blockade," with the Strait expected to fully reopen on the day of signing.
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The exit of DIONA and HERO2 from the blockade zone, days ahead of the formal signing, suggests that easing of the naval cordon may already be underway in practice, even as the diplomatic and legal formalities are finalised in Switzerland.
The blockade, in place since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28, had choked off Iranian oil exports and contributed to the broader Strait of Hormuz shipping crisis that has disrupted global energy markets and claimed the lives of multiple seafarers, including Indian nationals, over the past several months.
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